Draw-off devices for flat knitting machines



April 9, 1968 P. JOSEPH 3,376,716

DRAW-OFF DEVICES FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 30, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. P/ERRE JOSEPH fiTTOZ/VEYS April 9, 1968 P. JOSEPH 3,376,716

DRAW-OFF DEVICES FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. P/EARE (JOSEPH f ATTOQZEVS? Aprifi 9, 1968 P. JOSEPH 3,376,716

DRAW-OFF DEVICES FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet (5 Egg 3@ INVENTOR. PIERRE JOSEPH F. JOSEPH 3,376,716

DRAW-OFF DEVICES FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES April 9, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 50. 1966 INVENTOR. I /ERRE JO EPH Unite States Patent 3,376,716 DRAW-OFF DEVICES FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Pierre Joseph, Neuchatel, Switzerland, assignor to Edouard Dubied et Cie (Societe Anonyme), Neuchatei, Switzerland Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 441,981, Mar. 23, 1965. This application Sept. 30, 1966, Ser. No. 583,342 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Get. 4, 1965, 13,661/ 65 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-150) ABSTRACT OF THE DISQLOSURE A fabric draw-off capable of effective operation at points of abrupt fabric widening. The yarn as incorporated into the fabric engages with a series of vertical elernents and eye needle members. The upper ends of the vertical elements lie in the eyes of the needle members which alternate with the elements. To disengage the drawoif from the fabric the elements are withdrawn from the needle member eyes.

The present application is a Continuation-in-part of United States patent application, Ser. No. 441,981, filed March 23, 1965, in the name of Pierre Joseph. The subject matter of the patent application is a device for drawing off the fabric produced in a flat knitting machine which can continuously knit articles in contiguous succession, the selvedges of which are formed by widening and narrowing and the widths of which can abruptly widen.

For reasons given in the above-noted parent application, the customary take-up roller 'draw-oif device is not usuable when abruptly changing from a narrow to a wide knitting width.

The parent application describes a drawing-off device which meets the requirements of the particular panels knitted. The major part of the device is a mobile double comb consisting of two juxtaposed fiat bars, each bar carrying a grating the blades of which alternate and form at their heads, when the grating is closed, a continuous barrier, while in the spaces between the narrow shafts of the blades the needle hooks, which grip the separating thread, are free to move.

The embodiment described in the parent application is based on paddle-shaped grating elements having a narrow shaft and a large head. The loops of the separating yarn laid-in around these shafts are held back, when the comb descends, by the barrier formed by the closely adjoining heads in the closed grating position, whereas these loops, when the barrier is opened, that is, in the open grating position, should be free to escape from between the heads which are now separated from one another.

It has been determined that this theoretically perfect release of the loops does not always occur in the desired manner in practice. As a consequence of the tension in the knitting caused :by the descent of the double comb, the loops so contract around the narrow shafts of the grating elements that with certain kinds of knitting it is no longer possible simply to withdraw the loops over the large heads. Instead they remain hanging, wrapped around the heads. This circumstance, which occurs chiefly with knitting that is greatly narrowed on both selvedges, becomes more aggravated as one proceeds from the middle of the knitting towards the two selve'dges, where the binding of the transfer stitches and the consequent transverse stress in the knitting cause the loops to assume a pro- 3,3 75,716 Patented Apr. 9, 1968 nounced sloping position, which also opposes release of the loops.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in cross section of a V-bed knitting machine having the draw-off device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view on expanded scale of a part of the double comb seen closed;

FIG. 2a is a view along line IlL-II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a view on expanded scale of a part of the double comb seen open;

FIG. 3a is a view along line IIII'I-I of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 shows the laying-in of the separating yarn in the knitting needle hooks located in the space between pins and eye needles of the double comb;

FIG. 4a shows the :positon of the separating yarn as the double comb begins to descend, the yarn being looped around the pins and eye needles and the loops prevented from escaping upwards by the closed double comb; and

FIG. 5 shows the open comb and the direction taken by the loops between the separated pins and eye needles.

The general relationship of the mechanism 10, which constitutes the principal part of the drawing-off device, to the knitting machine is shown at FIG. 1. The reference numbers 1-18 refer to parts which are identical to or only slightly different from the parts references 1-18 in FIG. 2 of the above-noted parent application.

Very briefly, there is shown, FIG. 1, a V-type flatbed knitting machine having two needle beds 3, 3 with parallel transverse grooves 3a, 3'a, in which slide needles 4, 4' incorporating hooks 4a, 4a and latches 4b, 4'12. The needles are kept in the grooves by strips 5, '5. At the upper end of each needle bed knocking-over bits 6, 6' are formed by walls set and fixed by locking bars 7, 7'. One or more yarn feeders 8 move above the needle beds, which are mounted on frames 9, 9. Aslidable angle bracket 12 is held in position by screws 13, washer 14, and nut 15. M and T indicate that the mechanism 10 can move upwards and downwards and C indicates the verti cal travel of 10, which is adjustable to the length of the knitting. The letter N at FIG. 4 indicates the direction of movement of the carriage and yarn feeder 8.

Those parts 1-18 that differ slightly in structure from the identically referenced parts in the parent application will be discussed below. The double comb arrangement of wire pins and eye needles, which is novel to the present invention, is indicated generally by the reference numbers 19, 20. The individual parts of this arrangement are illustrated at FIGS. 2, 2a, 3, 3a. FIG. 3a shows on a large scale the parts 11-18. As remarked above, some of these parts differ slightly from the similarly referenced parts in the parent application. Thus, the angle bar 11 incorporates a rectangular recess 11a that receives the foot 20d of a plate 20c, which can be secured to the angle bar 11 by any suitable means, as by screws (not shown), for example. The upper edge of the plate 20c has a holder 20] in which a given number of eye needles 20a are secured in any suitable way, as by welding, for example. The spacing between the eye needles is double that between the knitting needles 4. The upper ends 2011 of the needles are inclined in a plane parallel to the length of the needle beds and consequently parallel to the width of the articles knitted. The ends 20b incorporate an oblong eye 20c. The comb 20 of needles 20a is divided into two halves; the left half comprises needles with rightward inclined ends and the right half needles with leftward inclined ends, :FIG. 2. The ends 20b thus incline towards the middle of the knitting machine and, therefore, the middle of the knitting.

The shifting bar 16 likewise incorporates a recess 1612 (not present in the parent application), in which a carrier 19d is mounted that secures, in any suitable and known way, a definite number of vertical elements in the form of wire pins 19a, which each incorporate a thinner upper portion 19b. The pins have the same double needle spacing as do the eye needles. The holders 20 each incorporate a series of regularly spaced vertical bores alternating with the eye needles. The elements 19a project upwards through these bores and between the eye needles 20a. The wire pins are free to move up and down in these bores and constitute the other combs 19 of the double comb 19, 20.

The shifting bar 16, as described in detail in the parent application, is provided with fixed pins 17 and guided in oblong slots (not shown) by screws 18.

The mechanism for effecting the movement between the eye needles and the elements is described in the abovenoted parent application.

In their uppermost position the elements 19a project through the eyes 200 of the eye needles and thereby the double comb of needles and pins form a closed double comb. In their lowermost position the elements are completely withdrawn out of the eyes, there-by forming an open double comb.

FIGS. 4, 4a, illustrate the laying-in of the separating yarn F, the formation of the loops S S around the portions 19b and the ends 2%, and the release of these loops from the open double comb, precisely as described in the above-noted parent application. It should be noted that what are termed in the present the open and closed double comb positions are termed in the parent application the open and closed grating positions.

The principle upon which the laying-in of the yarn is based is essentially unchanged. The single, trifling difference consists in that the middle of the needle beds 3, 3', where the row of eye needles 20a and pins or elements 19a is divided, the yarn is not laid in around a pin, as at F -(FIG. 4), but extends across the opening and simply remains straight and under tension as shown at E After the first slight descent of the double comb, the thread E from the yarn feeder 8 is formed into loops S S around the inclined ends 201) and portions 1%. The length P of thread remains straight, however.

The release of the loops S S in the open comb position is clearly shown at FIG. 5, which particularly shows the inclined direction (arrows E) of the release. This arrangement very efficaciously aids the release at each selvedge of greatly inclined stitch loops.

The carrier 19d and the plate 20a may be divided into a number of separate carriers and plates. The carrier 4 t and plate can then be assembled from a desired number of elements mounted in series to form a carrier and plate of desired length. This can be advantageous from the point of view of the knitting operation (knitting width), as well as from the points of view of manufacture and replacement.

The scope of the invention admitting of various modifications, its extent is limited solely by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A draw-off device for flat knitting machines, comprising:

a movable double comb, including:

a comb-forming row of vertical eye needles spaced apart a distance equal to twice that between the knitting needles of the machine, the upper ends of eye needles being inclined in a plane substantially parallel to the length of the needle beds of the machine and having each an eye, said row defining a plane;

a comb-forming row of vertical elements spaced apart a distance equal to twice that between the knitting needles of the machine and located in said plane defined by the eye needles, each element being located between neighboring eye needles in line with an eye of one needle thereof and being sufficiently thin, at least at its upper end, to enter an eye, whereby there is formed a double comb of alternate elements and eye needles, and the element comb being movable in the plane of the double comb between a closed double comb position, wherein the upper element ends enter said eyes, and an open double comb position, wherein the upper element ends are withdrawn from said eyes;

and separate means for mounting each of said combs.

2. The draw-off device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said separate means comprises a plurality of parts for making the combs of any desired length.

3. The draw-off device as defined in claim 2, wherein each comb consists of two halves separated at the middle of the needle beds of the machine, and wherein the inclined eye needle ends of each comb half incline towards one another.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 868,332 10/1907 Donner 66l50 1,022,233 4/1912 Goebel 66l50 W'M. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner. 

